Originally Posted by ragboy
Options for running tires from 25 to 45 -- how many on that list can do that? The OP is talking about the bike as being used primarily for commuting, not touring. Why in the world would you need three water bottles and a midfork rack mount when commuting? Is the OP really going to be making those kinds of climbs on his commute? If not, a double would suffice fine. To me, it doesn't make sense to give up the extra zip and tire size options of a Cross Check for a more sluggish ride as a full-out touring bike would be as a commuter. Of course, best advice would be to ride each and find out firsthand.
Tires are only one option. A touring bike can handle the same tire width as a cross bike...and probably a bit more. My cross bike would have trouble handling a 45 for the front because the fork is too narrow. My touring bike would have plenty of room to spare.
He's wanting the bike as his only bike. That means that the bike will see more than the hills on his commute. He may want to take it off into the mountains for a weekend (not necessarily loaded) and, trust me, around here a triple is almost a requirement if you want to original equipment knees by the time you get to 50. Or he may want to go for a 3 or 4 hour ride in the summer. Three water bottles come in handy.
A touring bike is not...I'll repeat, not ...sluggish! It's an old myth that was never true in the first place. I ride mine as fast and can corner as hard as I used to on the Cannondale race bike I had. No, my touring bike doesn't weigh 20 lbs but then the Cross Check doesn't either. But if you want to ride a bike and carry stuff, why not buy one that is designed to do so rather than try and force fit a bike that is meant to race?